Ujjain invites Google’s Project Loon to Simhastha 2016

The request by Ujjain administration comes close on the heels of union communication and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announcing that the Centre had in-principle agreed to partner with the Google’s Project Loon on a pilot basis.Salil Mekaad | TNN | December 20, 2015, 11:18 IST

INDORE: Ujjain may become the first city in India to implement Google's prestigious Project Loon that uses high altitude balloons to provide internet connections, if a request made by the Simhastha 2016 organizers is considered by the Centre.

Ujjain administration has sent a request to the communications and IT ministry, urging it to rope in Google to implement Project Loon during Simhastha 2016, when over 5 crore people from different parts of the world are expected to converge in the holy town, Ujjain municipal corporation commissioner and Simhsatha mela officer Avinash Lavaniya told TOI.

Project Loon, developed by Google X, aims at providing internet access to rural and remote areas. The project uses high-altitude balloons placed in the stratosphere at an altitude of about 18 km to create an aerial wireless network with up to 4G-LTE speeds. Each balloon can provide connectivity to a ground area about 40 km in diameter.

"If implemented, Ujjain will be the first city in India to have Google Loon," Lavaniya said.

The request by Ujjain administration comes close on the heels of union communication and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announcing that the Centre had in-principle agreed to partner with the Google's Project Loon on a pilot basis.

Soon after meeting Google's CEO Sunder Pichai on December 17, Prasad also announced that state-run BSNL was assigned to partner it. However, the ministry stated that it will be consulting with civil aviation ministry and security agencies before going ahead.

Simhastha 2016 is going to have a peak influx of people from April 21, 2016 to May 22, 2016. The administration is also expecting large number of foreign tourists.

Taking technological strides, the Simhstha managing committee has come up with large number of web-based applications to ease the movement of pilgrims. Large-scale banking operations, also dependent on internet connectivity, are also planned during the religious congregation.

Experts claim that though Google's Project Loon in India is still being considered, by the time Simhastha dates near, Ujjain could be the best platform to experiment it.